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My newest denarius!

MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum

For the last year or so I’ve been collecting ancient Roman coins with my main goal being to collect a denarius of every Emperor of the Pax Romana period. From Augustus to Severus Alexander.

A few days ago I won this really nice Vespasian denarius :)


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    TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Fantastic!


    8 Reales Madness Collection
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    ashelandasheland Posts: 22,694 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You are picking them well! That has terrific eye appeal!

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    MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭

    @asheland said:
    You are picking them well! That has terrific eye appeal!

    Thanks! :) I’m trying to get the best quality examples I can afford so that I am satisfied with my collection at the end.

    Unfortunately sometimes that just isn’t possible. Like with Caligula. Even a denarius of his in VG condition with bankers marks is like $4,000 :/.

    Apparently the reason for that is that the Romans hated Caligula so much they melted down most of his coinage and reminted it after his death so surviving examples are scarce.

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    MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭

    @TwoKopeiki said:
    Fantastic!

    Thanks!! :)

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    ashelandasheland Posts: 22,694 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MKUltra24 said:

    @asheland said:
    You are picking them well! That has terrific eye appeal!

    Thanks! :) I’m trying to get the best quality examples I can afford so that I am satisfied with my collection at the end.

    Unfortunately sometimes that just isn’t possible. Like with Caligula. Even a denarius of his in VG condition with bankers marks is like $4,000 :/.

    Apparently the reason for that is that the Romans hated Caligula so much they melted down most of his coinage and reminted it after his death so surviving examples are scarce.

    That’s an excellent strategy. 👍

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    TitusFlaviusTitusFlavius Posts: 319 ✭✭✭

    Nice portrait! Definitely portrays Vespasian as a powerful dude that would-be usurpers wouldn't want to mess with.

    "Render therfore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Matthew 22: 21
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    PillarDollarCollectorPillarDollarCollector Posts: 4,793 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Just curious how long is the learning curve on ancient coins say for each main nation? I ask because my mind could never remember the names of these people except the obvious few.

    Collecting interests: Coins from Latin American (2020-present)

    Sports: NFL & NHL

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    MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2, 2021 3:01AM

    @KingOfMorganDollar said:
    Just curious how long is the learning curve on ancient coins say for each main nation? I ask because my mind could never remember the names of these people except the obvious few.

    It’s not too bad if you focus on one nation/empire at a time.

    For example when I started collecting Roman coins I used to think it would be impossible for me to remember the names of all the Emperors and what they did.

    But over time as I was exposed to coinage and started reading and learning I started to get a grasp on what each Emperor looked like and what their major policies were.

    I started with Augustus since he was the first Emperor and then learned about Tiberius and then Caligula and now I can identify which Emperor minted a coin just by looking at the portrait.

    For example Augustus always had a plain, messy hair, look and it’s almost impossible to not recognize that it’s Augustus when you see him.

    Every Emperor has their own little quirks and personally recognizable traits so once you can identify & remember them it becomes much easier to learn about them without forgetting things.


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    cecropiamothcecropiamoth Posts: 959 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Good lookin!!!

    Jeff

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    291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,945 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nice portrait and very readable lettering!

    All glory is fleeting.
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    MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭

    @291fifth said:
    Nice portrait and very readable lettering!

    Thanks! I like to imagine that the well struck coins were made by some buff dude swinging his hammer and the weak strikes made by a scrawny dude swinging a hammer xD

    Although I imagine the scrawny dudes quickly became buff after all those hammer swings. ^_^

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    SwampboySwampboy Posts: 12,886 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 29, 2021 12:55AM

    Nice pick up. I love it.
    I've always wanted a nice Vespasian denarius. The couple I have are very well circulated and not struck that well. I like the way the engravers capture his determination on all his issues, none more than yours.

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    MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭

    @Swampboy said:
    Nice pick up. I love it.
    I've always wanted a nice Vespasian denarius. The couple I have are very well circulated and not struck that well. I like the way the engravers capture his determination on all his issues, none more than yours.

    Thanks Swampy! :)

    The well struck portrait is definitely my favorite thing about it. It’s what drew my eye in the first place.

    It’s definitely my most expensive denarius so far. Although I know Caesar, Augustus and Tiberius will cost even more :/.

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    291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,945 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MKUltra24 said:

    @Swampboy said:
    Nice pick up. I love it.
    I've always wanted a nice Vespasian denarius. The couple I have are very well circulated and not struck that well. I like the way the engravers capture his determination on all his issues, none more than yours.

    Thanks Swampy! :)

    The well struck portrait is definitely my favorite thing about it. It’s what drew my eye in the first place.

    It’s definitely my most expensive denarius so far. Although I know Caesar, Augustus and Tiberius will cost even more :/.

    Stay focused on nice coins. Don't rush the collection. The emperors (and dictator) you still need are going to be expensive.

    All glory is fleeting.
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    MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭

    @291fifth said:

    @MKUltra24 said:

    @Swampboy said:
    Nice pick up. I love it.
    I've always wanted a nice Vespasian denarius. The couple I have are very well circulated and not struck that well. I like the way the engravers capture his determination on all his issues, none more than yours.

    Thanks Swampy! :)

    The well struck portrait is definitely my favorite thing about it. It’s what drew my eye in the first place.

    It’s definitely my most expensive denarius so far. Although I know Caesar, Augustus and Tiberius will cost even more :/.

    Stay focused on nice coins. Don't rush the collection. The emperors (and dictator) you still need are going to be expensive.

    That’s my plan :). Focusing on one coin at a time and then getting the best example I can afford.

    I’m trying to get at least AU condition coins of the cheap-moderate priced Emperors and then at least XF for the kind of expensive Emperors like Augustus and Tiberius.

    For the wildly expensive Emperors like Caligula I’ll have to make do with whatever I can afford even if it will likely be very low grade. Caligula is just ridiculously expensive.

    I regret my earlier mistakes of buying a low grade Lucius Verus denarius and a very dull & flat Commodus denarius and because of that mistake I’ll end up needing to upgrade later.

    From that I learned to stick with nice examples so that they can be permanent in my collection.

    Fortunately I recognized my mistake before I had dozens of low grade denarii.

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    WillieBoyd2WillieBoyd2 Posts: 5,038 ✭✭✭✭✭

    A denarius of Caligula is very expensive while on the other hand, for $50, there is:

    image
    Antoninus Pius Denarius Salus
    Silver, 18 mm, 3.52 gm, Catalog: RIC 264
    Struck: AD 156-157 Rome
    Obverse:
    Laureate head right
    ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP IMP II
    Reverse:
    Salus seated left, feeding serpent rising from altar
    TR POT XX COS IIII

    :)

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    MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭

    @WillieBoyd2 said:
    A denarius of Caligula is very expensive while on the other hand, for $50, there is:

    image
    Antoninus Pius Denarius Salus
    Silver, 18 mm, 3.52 gm, Catalog: RIC 264
    Struck: AD 156-157 Rome
    Obverse:
    Laureate head right
    ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP IMP II
    Reverse:
    Salus seated left, feeding serpent rising from altar
    TR POT XX COS IIII

    :)

    I've already got Antoninus Pius ;)

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    ELuisELuis Posts: 843 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Was just curios, and since I know zero about ancient coins, I can see a Caligula Denarius is indeed expensive - wow, the cheap one I found is at: $1,576.25

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    MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 652 ✭✭✭✭

    @ELuis said:
    Was just curios, and since I know zero about ancient coins, I can see a Caligula Denarius is indeed expensive - wow, the cheap one I found is at: $1,576.25

    Yeah they can go for WAY more than that.

    The reason is because Caligula was so hated that after he died his coins were melted down as a way of forgetting him and the metal was reminted and so not many of them survived

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